Motorcycles typically include fenders positioned over the wheels to prevent debris (e.g., dirt, water, etc.) from being thrown into the air as the motorcycle travels over a surface. For example, front and rear fenders can be positioned around the front and rear wheels, respectively.
The front fender can be coupled to the front fork of the motorcycle so the front fender turns with the fork and wheel. The front fender can be secured to the fork so the front fender either moves upward when the front wheel encounters a bump or, alternatively, stays stationary relative to the upward moving wheel.
The rear fender can be coupled to the tail section of the frame in a position over the rear wheel. This is commonly done in such a way that the rear fender does not move with the rear wheel when the rear wheel encounters a bump. In this design, the rear fender is typically bolted to the tail section of the motorcycle using bolts passing through the tail section and through the rear fender.
Rear fenders are also commonly used to support a taillight assembly, which can include a brake light and/or directional lights. These lights are provided with power from a main control box, which is typically located in front of the rear fender, via a taillight wire harness. This harness can be routed around the underside of the rear fender using wiring clips to hold the harness in place.
With reference to FIGS. 1 & 2, prior rear fender taillight assemblies are shown. These traditional taillights 10 have separate components mounted on surface 12 of rear fender 14. The taillights 10 protrude beyond surface 12 of fender 14. While these prior taillight assemblies have proven useful in alerting those behind the vehicle the vehicle is stopping or braking, there are problems associated with these protruding taillight assemblies. Often these protruding taillight assemblies are broken when encountering obstacles during the life of the motorcycle. Since these taillight assemblies protrude from the fender, 14 they are susceptible to being contacted and broken by obstacles. For example, often a motorcycle must be backed out of a storage location. If the user is inattentive or there is an unseen obstacle behind the motorcycle, there is a risk that the taillight 10 would encounter the obstacle first and be broken by the obstacle.
In addition, because these prior taillight assemblies have several individual components, such as a lens, a halogen bulb, a housing for the bulb, a mounting bracket for the housing, etc., the materials cost as well as the labor cost in assembling the components increase. Further, many of these components are made of chrome, which can be very expensive. Additionally, halogen bulbs are vibration sensitive. This causes frequent failures, which necessitates easy access for service from the outside of the fender.
It is desirable to provide a taillight assembly that overcomes some of the disadvantages with the prior art assemblies. Further, it is desirable to provide a taillight assembly with minimal components to reduce the amount of materials used and the cost of assembling these components.